Kataang Week 2014
by eskalations
Summary: "A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person." - Mignon McLaughlin
1. Chapter 1

A/N #1: _I kind of cheated and combined the first and second day, but oh well! Please read the author's note at the end as it may explain some of my choices made in the drabble below. God bless! Happy reading!_

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar or its characters.

* * *

She was three weeks late.

Katara stared at the calendar in front of her, hands shaking as she recounted the days since her last cycle. Maybe she had done the math wrong somewhere?

"It was before the last full moon," She muttered to herself, pinpointing the exact date in which she had started. "Have I really not had one since then?"

The fact that she had been completely oblivious to her cycle not making an appearance was shocking to her. As a healer herself, surely she would be more in tune with her body and aware of when it was going through changes and when it wasn't. She should have noticed that she hadn't had one in so long.

But with the wedding just three months prior and the construction still taking place on Air Temple Island, it had all but slipped her mind. Add on to that the hours she had been taking at the clinic in the city and the assistance she was giving Aang in court on certain dates, it was completely understandable that she wouldn't remember something so trivial. Her world was so big now, she barely had time to think about herself when there were so many other people who needed her help.

Placing the calendar back in its spot on the kitchen counter, Katara walked into the incomplete living room that was still cluttered with boxes full of little trinkets and bobbles from her's and Aang's travels. Sidestepping the mess on the floor and deciding that was another issue to tackle later on, the waterbender sat herself on the couch, breathing deeply and allowing herself time to think.

There were so many things this could mean – she could be overly stressed, exercising too much, losing weight too fast. The possibilities were endless.

As she ticked off all the conditions in her head, she could feel herself mentally shying away from one of the most common reasons for a missed cycle. It couldn't possibly be that. She could not be pregnant.

Glancing over at a box that had been placed on the end table they had purchased just recently, Katara could feel her heart clench at the articles inside of it.

"For whenever you decide to bring little airbenders into the world," Hakoda had joked as he and Sokka brought in boxes of clothes from her youth. "So they can be warm whenever they come to visit their ole' Gramps."

Katara had nearly cried then from how sweet the gesture was, but now –as she glanced at the coats of cerulean that's sleeves hung from the side of the box – she could only feel the bile in the back of her throat building up.

They hadn't been married for long and there were so many things that still needed to be taken care of. Although she knew that her husband wanted children at some point in his life, she wasn't sure if he was ready for one now. Besides, the world was still so dysfunctional and a large amount of his time was dedicated to making sure it wouldn't be like that for much longer. Could either of them handle this responsibility on top of all the others they already had stacking up?

She had to remind herself that she wasn't completely sure she was pregnant yet. In order to determine it for sure, she would have to get herself into water and she wasn't feeling too eager to do so at that point.

Leaning forward so that her elbows rested on her knees, Katara placed her head in her hands, a groan escaping her lips at the thought of her hunch being true. All her life, she had thought the idea of carrying a child would be one that would send chills of excitement up her spine and throw her heart into an excited flutter. She never expected to be so apprehensive and uncertain about it.

But still, the thought of Aang's child growing inside of her sent a warm thrill through her body. She had always wanted to have children with him, ever since she was a young teen. Maybe being pregnant wouldn't be such a bad possibility. They were both in their twenties and more than capable of taking care of themselves. Perhaps the world would sort itself out in the coming months and life would be all right.

She could feel a smile slowly forming on her features to replace the frown she had sported just moments before.

Suddenly the little box of winter coats wasn't so threatening.

"Are you okay?"

The question shook her from thoughts, causing her nerves to stand on end until she realized who had asked it.

"Aang!" She jumped from the couch, throwing herself into his already open arms.

"Well, hello there," The man chuckled, his arms tightening around her as he kissed the dark curls at her temple. "Mind telling me what's got you smiling? It sure isn't the state of this room."

"No," Katara answered honestly, nuzzling her face into his autumn robes and inhaling the scent of the sea that he had collected from his flight. "The room is definitely not why I'm smiling. We really need to do something with it."

"We'll get around to it eventually," The man rested his chin on top of the waterbender's head, closing his eyes and allowing his mind and body to relax after a long day. "So, if the room wasn't what brought on the smile - what did?"

Katara hesitated a moment, face still buried in his chest. She wanted to tell him about her missed cycle and the implications it included, but she couldn't bring herself to do so. She needed more proof before she burdened him with the idea of becoming a father. He had too much to worry about already.

"You," Though it wasn't what had initially caused her to smile, it wasn't exactly a lie. "I was just starting to wonder when you would be home."

The airbender gave her an affectionate kiss to the cheek before releasing her, launching into a full blown recount of the trial that had ended early and allowed everyone to head home an hour before usual. Katara listened, rolling her eyes at the many mentions of her brother's snarky comments, but ultimately remained in her own headspace.

As she watched Aang speak, she couldn't help but get caught up in how much he had grown. From a scrawny kid, came this man who could literally destroy mountains if he wanted to. The tattooed hands that held her own as he pulled her to the kitchen to help him with dinner preparations were the same pair that had ended a 100-year conflict nearly ten years before. It was awe-inspiring how much power this one man possessed.

When she looked at him, she saw strength. Her strength. No matter what situation they were thrown into, as long as she had him, she knew they could make it out of it.

"Uh, Aang – "

The Avatar looked up, putting his story on hold to allow her to say what she needed to say. The love and patience in his eyes had the words bubbling up in the back of her throat, but the exhaustion she could see him trying to veil behind that open look had her pushing them back down. She couldn't put this on him.

"I think we should go out for dinner. I didn't have a chance to run to the market on my way home from the clinic and I know for a fact that we barely have anything in our cupboards."

For a moment, her husband looked suspicious at her unsteady tone. But his tiredness from the day and the thought of the paper work he would have to do whenever he finished dinner had him dismissing her unusual behavior. If she wanted to tell him something, she would in her own time.

"Sounds like a plan," The man agreed after a beat, grabbing the bag of rice he had already taken from the shelf and setting it back in its place. "Besides, it's not often that I get home early enough to treat you to a nice dinner."

Katara smiled, commenting that she would have to go put on some nicer robes before they left. Aang sat on the couch dutifully, waiting for his wife as she rushed down the hall to their room to change out of her work clothes and into a more appropriate outfit.

Entering the bathroom that attached to the master suite, the waterbender quickly shed the robes she had been wearing at the clinic that afternoon. The dark blue pooled around her feet before she picked them up and placed them in the hamper.

Sighing deeply, Katara turned to look at herself in the mirror. In just her bindings, she couldn't see much of a difference in her body. She wasn't bloated like one would be in early pregnancy and her chest still looked the same as it always had. Placing a hand on the tanned skin of her tummy, she did notice that it felt a bit firmer than it had before they'd moved on to the island. That could just be her toning up though from the extra hours she had been putting into her waterbending at the gym in the city.

Ignoring the nagging feeling she still had, the woman walked into her closet deciding to give the issue more time. If she missed her period again, she would tell her husband.

But until then, there was no need to worry him.

* * *

It wasn't until she missed her cycle again that she finally allowed herself to fully worry over the possibility.

Aang was out of town, meeting with Zuko in the Fire Nation capital to talk about plans of action against various rebellions that kept popping up in the Earth Kingdom. King Kuei had asked for both of their assistance in squashing the uprisings taking place right outside of the walls of the impenetrable city of Ba Sing Se, to which neither could say no to.

The Avatar had been hesitant to accept the offer, knowing Katara's duties in the city would keep her from accompanying him. He didn't enjoy the idea of the waterbender being home alone, although he knew she could handle herself if anything were to happen.

But the woman shooed him off, assuring the worried man she would be in the company of the Acolytes and wouldn't truly be all by her lonesome self. In truth, she was happy that he was leaving for a few days. With her missing her time of the month once again, she needed some space in order to get her thoughts straight.

After giving him a rather passionate kiss goodbye and watching Appa fly off into the dark, Katara decided it was time to check for sure whether her sinking suspicion was correct.

So that's how she found herself an hour later, submerged in the bath water from their well that she had collected after her husband had left.

Since she had missed her first cycle, the woman had taken careful precautions just in case she was, in fact, carrying a child. While she used to go to the gym after her shifts at the clinic, she had stopped in fear of overexertion. Although she had cut down on the physical activity, Katara couldn't ignore the fact that her belly kept on getting firmer and firmer. This growing development also had her taking on fewer hours at the clinic, cautious of catching an illness and hurting the little life that could, potentially, be growing inside of her.

After scrubbing her hair and cleaning her skin, Katara laid back against the cool marble of the tub. Though her hands were shaking, the woman calmly placed her palms over the skin of her belly; fingers working to detect any slightl change in the chi paths that ran beneath her skin.

Although all the signs had been there, nothing could prepare the woman for the moment she detected the little bundle of energy that was resting in her womb. Although it was faint and the paths weren't yet strong, she could feel the weak beating of a tiny heart, pounding in time with her own as it picked up speed at her discovery.

The fear she had felt so many weeks before returned in a near instant. Now that she knew for sure there was a baby within her, she couldn't help but worry about the state of the world she was bringing it into. Though there was no war, there were still conflicts that needed both her and her husband's attention. How could she help the Avatar and support him properly when she had another life to worry about?

They hadn't even talked about children yet, both silently agreeing that it would be a few years before they brought the possibility to the table for proper discussion.

Well, it looked like the discussion was going to be coming a lot sooner than either of them had thought.

Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, Katara watched as the blue glow surrounding her hands dulled. With confirmation of the small life growing within her womb, Katara allowed her fingers the time to linger over the tough bump resting at the bottom of her stomach. Mistaken as muscle at first, the woman could feel herself tearing up at the idea of that small bump being the developing child inside her.

Not allowing herself to get too emotional, Katara pulled the plug of the tub, stepping over its marble side and bending the water left on her body back into the tub. Grabbing her night robes from the counter beside the sink, the woman changed quickly, wrapping her bindings around only the bottom half of her body.

Exiting the washroom, Katara padded through the master suite and down the hall to the kitchen where the calendar was resting on top of the table. Although, she no longer needed to count the dates since her last period, knowing now that she most definitely was not going to get another one for several more months, she counted off the days in her head to try and pinpoint the date in which she had conceived.

Looking back over the dates, she realized she had to at least be 8 weeks pregnant, if her mind wasn't failing her.

Just the knowledge that she had been carrying a child already for that long, caused Katara's head to spin. Returning to her bedroom, she blew out the lone candle on top of the wooden dresser, allowing the moonlight to be her only source of light. Lying back on the silken covers of the large bed that felt so lonely without her husband there, the waterbender stared up at the ceiling above her.

What was she going to tell Aang? Was he going to be upset that all of this had happened so soon? He was only twenty-one, and although men had become father's much earlier than that age before, they weren't the Avatar. Would this just be another responsibility to bog him down even more than he already was?

Rubbing her hands across her face, Katara realized she still didn't know how she felt about the matter. Though she was fearful, there was a part of her that ached to get more water so that she could feel that tiny bundle of energy again. The warmth that had spread through her being when she detected that little heartbeat was like none she had ever felt before.

She wanted this, she always had. It was just an awful time for it to happen.

Burrowing into Aang's pillow, the waterbender sighed deeply, running her hands lightly over the fabric covering her stomach. Something else was nagging at her brain as well.

Why wasn't she getting some of the more prominent signs of pregnancy if she was already 7 weeks into her first trimester?

Katara spent a large amount of time with pregnant women, being a midwife to some of them when the time came for their little bundles of joy to enter the world. They usually complained of morning sickness that had them doubling over and soreness in their chest. Aside from having a bit of a lack of an appetite, the waterbender couldn't remember feeling sick upon waking in the morning. Her breast were fine, the tight wrapping of her bindings not bothering her whenever she went in to work.

Shouldn't she be experiencing more of this? The healer knew that every pregnancy was different, but apart from the small bump resting at the bottom of her abdomen and the missing of her cycles, there was no other sign that she was carrying life.

Resting her tanned fingers over her lower abdomen to assure herself the firm bump was still there; she closed her eyes - allowing the moment to sink in.

Despite the bad timing, she knew she was going to have to tell Aang when he arrived home from his trip. She trusted him with all her heart and knew that this development wouldn't be detrimental to their relationship; it would just put more weight on Aang's already heavy shoulders.

Opening her eyes one last time to gaze at the steadily rising moon, Katara pulled the covers up higher to protect herself from the autumn chill.

With one hand resting on her bump, the waterbender drifted into sleep, dreaming of a little girl with silver eyes, running away from her Avatar father and airbending herself out of his reach every time he came near her.

* * *

A week had gone by and Aang still wasn't home from his trip.

Katara had considered writing him a letter, telling him that something urgent had happened at home that he needed to take care of, but knowing Aang, he would assume the worse and worry himself sick the entire way back to the island. She also didn't want to interfere with his work, knowing that whenever he was able to slip away from the capital, he would take the opportunity.

The woman busied herself with non-strenuous activities around the island as she waited for her husband's return. She still took hours at the clinic, but was more hesitant of which wings she chose to work in, working now mostly in the area designated for newborns and expectant mothers.

Being around the women at work and getting to see their babies be born happy and healthy, eased some of the anxiety Katara had originally been feeling regarding her pregnancy. Getting to watch the parents' faces light up every time they laid eyes on their child had her heart all a flutter and her emotions jumbled.

She blamed it on the hormones.

Aside from that though, she hadn't been experiencing any of the other symptoms that usually accompanied pregnancy. Her belly was still firm, the bump a little more pronounced than when she had made the discovery of the small bundle of energy there, but other than that, nothing had really changed.

Had Katara not been a healer, she would have probably ignored the lack of symptoms and just accepted that she was having an easier pregnancy than most. But she knew all that could go wrong in the first trimester and this caused her to worry.

It wasn't until the 8th day of Aang's absence though, that she finally pinpointed what the problem was.

While she had been taking her bath that evening, she allowed her hands to glow and slide over the skin of her belly. It had become somewhat of a routine since the first time she had done it. With Aang gone, the tiny heartbeat that accompanied her's was the only source of company she had within her private quarters on the island.

But the bump felt different that day, the energy flowing in a weird direction as opposed to the way it usually did.

Dark brows furrowing, Katara moved her fingers slowly over her lower abdomen, feeling for what was disturbing the baby's energy. Closing her eyes, she breathed deeply and tried to map out the outline of her growing child. She could feel where they were developing their hands and she detected the head, but there was something else there as well.

In the spot where the shoulders should meet the neck, there was a sack of fluid resting on the back of the skin. Though it wasn't very big, she assumed it was growing since this was the first time she had been able to detect it. Along with that, the baby seemed to be swelling due to the new development.

Trying to remain calm and rational, the woman allowed the glowing water to fall back into the tub and travel down the drain. She needed her medical journals.

Finished with her bath, Katara wrapped herself in a night robe and trekked down the hallway to the small office her husband had for his work at home. Sliding the door to the side and closing it softly behind her, she entered the room with her light eyes already scanning for the item she was looking for. Finding the candle that rested on the shelf next to the entrance, Katara quickly struck a match she had taken from her bedroom, lighting the wick of the candle and holding it away from her body.

Though she had spent a great amount of time in Aang's office, she had trouble navigating it in the dark. Because of their recent move, there were still a few lone boxes resting in the middle of the floor where her husband had left them to be dealt with on a later date. Sidestepping them carefully, the waterbender reached the built-in bookcase where she kept the mass majority of her medical journals.

After traveling the world for so many years, she had gained quite the collection of medical knowledge. Many of the pages were filled with her own observations, experiences she was glad to have learned from and wanted to remember at some point in the future. The others contained notes from seminars she had taken during their time in the poles and Ba Sing Se from women who had worked as healers for years and had seen just about everything.

Scanning the shelf, she rested her finger on the binding of a small blue notebook. Was this where she had put the notes from the baby seminar?

Taking the book from the shelf, she thumbed through the pages, her eyes detecting several familiar words that she could vaguely remember being the points of topic of the class. Satisfied that she had found the correct notebook, she exited the room, walking back to her bedroom to begin her reading.

She lighted several candles, the soft glow giving her just enough visibility to read the messy characters that had been scrawled across the pages. Cursing herself for being in such a hurry, she took a seat on the bed and laid the book in front of her, squinting her eyes to try and decipher what she had wrote.

After searching for a few minutes, she found what she had been looking for.

The waterbender remembered the instructor from that day going over a long list of complications that could happen within the first trimester of a pregnancy. Though Katara had been quite the experienced healer at that point in time, she had still taken the time to write out rather detailed notes on the issue in case she ran into problems with future patients. Never had she expected to need to read over the notes in regards to herself.

The list of complications went on forever, the words causing Katara's heart to race. Being a healer, she was aware of how cautious of a time the first trimester was, but she wasn't prepared to see everything listed out and graphically descripted.

One set of notes caught her eye, causing her to stop midline as she brought the journal closer to her face.

_fluid at back of head and swelling – multiple possibilities – higher risk of miscarriage/stillbirth – if birthed, may have physical disablement (s) – heart defect usually present_

Katara's heart dropped to her stomach, her eyes scanning over the page to see if she had written out any additional notes. There was a hyphen off to the side where she had written over the margin, her characters squeezed together from lack of space and haste.

_reference : most end in miscarriage/stillbirth – fluid on back of neck swells and engulfs fetus – can affect both male and female_

The words of her notes blurred as tears of remorse filled her eyes, the book falling back on to the covers of her bed.

This couldn't be happening.

She had been scared for her child to come into a world as crazy as the one she lived in to begin with, but she had never expected that the same child she feared would get to see the world, would never even make it out of the womb.

A hand flew to her stomach, her fingers needing to confirm that the bump was still there. It was.

Trying to gain some level of control over her emotions, Katara reminded herself that sometimes medical references were wrong and the notes hadn't said that all pregnancies with the complication ended with miscarriage. She was a healthy, young woman who took all precautions necessary once she suspected she was pregnant. If anyone were able to fight the odds, it would be her.

Though she could tell herself that, she couldn't make herself fully believe it. She had seen too many strong women fall victim to a miscarriage in her lifetime to think that she was completely invincible and that - in turn - her baby was as well.

The condition though would explain why her bump was smaller than the norm and why the heartbeat coming from her womb was fainter than those she detected while helping at the clinic.

Mentally, she was beating herself up. Perhaps this issue was a consequence of something she had done. While she knew that a majority of complications involved in a pregnancy were a result of a blurb in the genetics of a child, she couldn't help but wonder if this was a result of her working out too much or from the stress she had been under at the clinic. How was she going to tell Aang that she might of caused their child suffering before it had even fully entered the world?

_Aang. _Katara's mind instantly began to race. What _was _she going to say to him? He didn't even know about her pregnancy to begin with and now there was a chance there may not be a pregnancy for much longer. Did she still need to tell him?

The waterbender scoffed at the idea. Of course she had to tell him, he had a right to know. That child was just as much his as it was her's.

The only thing that worried her was Aang's emotional capacity. Where as she could go on after tragedy, just as she had after her mother's death, the Avatar tended to take it a little more to heart. While he could go about his duties, Aang could'nt escape his thoughts like she could. He would stew in grief for months, declining trade agreements, travel offers, and peace talks just so he could be with her and be the rock he knew she needed whenever troubling times grabbed hold of them.

Aang would know she wasn't fully okay, no matter how much she acted like she was. She could go on and pretend like she was fine, but her husband was the only one who knew that was not the case. He would worry for her and battle grief all at the same time while turning his back on the world to ensure she was going to be alright. He would take on another burden on top of all the others, stretching himself thin until he couldn't anymore.

_No_, She thought, dragging a hand down her face in misery. _I can't keep this from him. He's going to notice the bump sooner or later and sooner would probably be what he'd prefer. _

She needed to tell him.

Glancing out the window, she noted that the moon had drifted to the center of the sky, signaling that it was of the midnight hour.

Worrying all night wasn't going to solve any of her problems. In fact, it would probably create more. She needed to remain calm during this whole ordeal and make sure she caused her baby as little amount of stress as she could.

Pulling the covers back, Katara readied herself to lie down for the night. She was just about to nestle into her pillows when the sound of a screen creaking had her jolting up in to a sitting position.

A rush of relief washed over her as she realized it was her husband, his blue arrows visible in the dark thanks to the moonlight streaming through the window.

"Oh," He jumped a bit in surprise, closing the screen behind him, "I thought you would be asleep."

"Aang!" The young woman exclaimed, jumping off the bed and running into his arms. Before he could say anything in return to her enthusiastic greeting, Katara's lips had already covered his own, kissing him long and hard to show him just how much he had been missed.

"Wow," He sighed as she pulled back for a moment before pecking him lightly on the lips once again. "It's not every day I get a greeting like that."

"How was your trip?" The waterbender inquired, pulling her husband over to the bed and forcing him to sit. The man chuckled at his wife's action, pulling her into his lap and wrapping his arms tightly around her waist.

"Lonely," He admitted, kissing the crown of her head and nuzzling his nose there. "I missed you far too much to enjoy myself."

"Did you and Zuko figure out what you're going to do?

"Yes, thankfully," A relieved sigh escaped Katara's lips at the news, happy that everything had been taken care of. "We have decided to bring in the United Forces. King Kuei was fine with the idea as well."

"Of course he was," The woman smirked, giving her husband an eye roll. "Now he won't have the responsibility of commanding a military. He's going to leave all the dirty work to the Republic and by extension – you, Zuko, and the Council."

"I don't mind," The man gave her a weak smile, determination clear in his stormy gaze but exhaustion evident on his features. "The Earth Kingdom is just as much a part of the Avatar as any other nation is. My job is to protect the people at all costs and if that means I have to take on a bit of extra work – so be it."

Katara shook her head, laying her chin on top of his shoulder. Holding him in a tight hug, the waterbender allowed one finger to trace the pale blue line of his arrow down the back of his neck to the edge of his collar.

"You are far too good of a man to be put through all this."

"I'm sure the rebels don't think so," He smiled into her hair, kissing the top of her earlobe. "I'm one of the reasons they're so up in arms."

"They don't know the half of it."

"No, they don't," Aang agreed pulling back so he could meet her cerulean stare. "We're all trying so hard to correct the injustices that were done to the Earth Kingdom during The Hundred Year War - it just seems like no matter what we do, people are angry about it."

"That's because they expect you to fix all their problems in the blink of an eye," Katara lamented, cupping her palm along the side of his jaw and allowing her thumb to stroke the skin above the line of his beard. "They think it should be easy to recover from war."

"Well, that's because they aren't the ones having to work out all the details," Aang commented dryly, giving her a sideways glance.

The waterbender smiled gently in return, "You're doing a good job, Aang. The war lasted a hundred years, all those problems can't be solved overnight."

"I know," He sighed, moving one of his hands from the side of her waist, to the small of her back. "I just wish I could solve them in a way that would benefit everyone, rather than anger the citizens even more."

"You know, as well as I do, that that is impossible. Not everyone is going to be happy with the way things are being handle, but that's their fault – not yours."

Aang nodded, knowing that she was right. He had missed her voice of reason when he had been away, Zuko's sad attempts at comfort falling flat when the two of them were both so discouraged.

"So," He started, clearing his throat as he glanced around the room shrouded in moonlight. "What have you been up to since I left?"

Katara froze at the inquiry, her body tensing when she realized she still hadn't told him about her discovery.

"Uh, - well I – " Her words came out in a stutter, her eyes dropping to the floor so she wouldn't have to meet his stormy gaze. Here he was returning from

a week of stressful meetings and agreements and she was about to dump the most devastating of news on him.

"I, uh - worked a little at the clinic," She started off, playing with a lose thread on the edge of his robes. He tensed slightly under her, causing her heart to pick up speed. Hopefully her hesitance hadn't caused him to grow suspicious.

"I hope you didn't work yourself too hard there," The man commented, using the hand that lay on her back to rub smooth circles over the fabric of her nightgown. "You look pale."

"No, I didn't," Katara assured him, pulling the thread from the fabric and flicking it to the floor. "I just spent a few hours there. I came home at lunch every day to teach a few of your classes."

"I hope the acolytes didn't give you any trouble."

The woman chuckled at the thought, "No, they're actually good company. They were willing to help me with a lot."

"Good," Aang smiled, kissing down the slope of her cheek before he found her mouth. His lips were gentle as they coaxed her own open, allowing his tongue the access he so desired. Though all of her senses were on fire after being away from her husband so long, she couldn't push down the ball of grief lodged in her throat.

Breaking away from the kiss, the waterbender panted for a moment, trying to regain her breath.

She had to tell him.

But when her gaze met his own, she saw how tired he was from his week in the Fire Nation. The bags beneath his eyes were more pronounced than they had been before, puffy due to lack of sleep and constant worry. He was exhausted.

She would let him rest and then she would tell him.

"I think it's time for bed," She sighed, patting his arm to signal she wanted to be released from his hold.

Instead of letting her go, the man's grip only tightened – a smirk appearing on his face at his wife's choice of words. That boyish grin, which he had carried into adulthood, had Katara rolling her eyes, her fingers tapping at his skin again.

"No, Aang," She could have laughed at the look of disappointment on his face, but the bags under his eyes had her upholding her stern gaze. "Not tonight. You need to sleep."

The man sighed, loosening his arms and allowing her to crawl out of them. As Katara snuggled back into her spot, Aang entered the bathroom to change out of his robes and prepare for bed.

The waterbender stared at the ceiling as she waited for her husband to turn in for the night. She could hear the soft patter of his feet against the stone floor, the rustle of his robes meeting her ears as he shed them for the night.

After a week alone, the noises coming from the washroom were a comfort to the woman, but his presence was causing the guilt she held within her heart to rise. The ball that had been stuck within her throat was growing larger the longer she withheld the news.

She would let him sleep tonight, but what happened when tomorrow came? Would he be upset that she had waited so long to tell him?

She scoffed under her breath, of course he would be mad at her. She would be livid if he kept something of this magnitude to himself for as much time as she had.

A hand came up to rest on her stomach, fingers smoothing over the small bump that lay there.

She knew he would be hopeful, regardless of whether he was ready for this responsibility or not. Ever the positive one, Aang would promise her that a happy ending would result from this. Their baby would live despite the odds being pitted against it.

But even if the child did live, they would have to face complications throughout their life as a result of what had happened in her womb.

Either way, their child was going to suffer.

It was that final thought that had tears streaming down the sides of her face. Aang exited the bathroom then, only wearing an old pair of sleep pants. When he saw his wife crying, he quickly walked over to her side of the bed.

"Sweetie," He murmured as he sat beside her, alarmed by her sudden show of emotions. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

Katara sniffled, shaking her head as she turned away from his touch. It was too much for her to handle. All of it – the rebellion, the clinic, Aang's duties, the baby – she just couldn't take much more.

"Katara," Her husband's voice was full of concern, his exhaustion temporarily replaced with fear as to what had his wife so upset. "What's going on?"

Shaking her head again, the woman turned to the side, mentally slapping herself for being so emotional in front of Aang. He had enough to worry about.

"I just missed you a lot," She sighed, a few tears falling as she screwed her eyes shut to avoid his gaze. "It was just a week but it felt like forever."

It wasn't a complete lie.

"Aw, Katara," He crawled into the space beside her, forgoing his usual side of the bed to cuddle up with her instead. His breath tickled the back of her neck as he nuzzled the skin there with his nose. "I know. I hope this will all be over soon so I don't have to leave you anymore. We've been married 4 months and I feel like I've barely gotten to see you. I'm sorry, Sweetie."

The airbender made a move to wrap his arms around her so he could spoon her more properly, but knowing that her husband would surely detect the slight change in her lower abdomen, Katara turned around quick, hands landing on his shoulders as she pressed herself into his chest.

"It's okay, Aang," The woman murmured, still avoiding his gaze as several lone tears made their way down her cheeks. "I knew what I was signing up for when I married you."

"That doesn't make it any better."

"I know," She moved her face up to his neck, placing a gentle kiss on the soft expanse of skin. "But it's worth it if it means I get to spend the rest of my life with you."

The Avatar chuckled quietly, placing a lazy kiss on her forehead, "You're going to get sick of me."

"Not on your life, airbender," Katara nuzzled her nose into his skin, all the worries and anxieties from the day still at the forefront of her mind. Exhaustion had begun to sink in for her, her breathing slowing as she listened to the steady beat of his heart.

"I love you."

The whispered words were so full of adoration that she could have cried again.

"I love you, too."

She would tell him tomorrow.

* * *

A week later and she was still telling herself the same thing.

When she had woken up the morning after his arrival, she was shocked to find that the other side of the bed was cold. Apparently, Aang had been called into the city for a discussion with the United Forces General regarding what their next move of action would be. Katara had waited at home all day, forgoing her hours at the clinic so that she could get her thoughts together, but the Avatar didn't stumble in until well into the next morning's hours.

Since then, it had been like that every day. With the United Forces about to be sent to the Earth Kingdom, the demand for her husband had been on the rise. If the General didn't need him, the Commander did, and if that wasn't enough – on top of it all, Aang was still attending court hearings and actively staying involved in the Council. It was all too much for him.

At nights, when he would crash on to the covers of their bed, not even bothering to change out of his robes, Katara would allow him to talk out his frustrations regarding his position until he was too exhausted to speak anymore.

The waterbender, in the mean time, researched a bit more into the condition she had been reading about the night her husband had returned home. Since she had attended the seminar in the North, many medical advances had been made. She learned that the odds of having a child encounter this problem were only about 1 in every 2000, with about 95% of them ending in miscarriage or still birth. The children born with the condition usually had trouble with growth, needing extensive healing care in order to fully mature, and had issues with their reproductive organs. What Katara had felt building up at the back of her baby's neck was a cystic hygroma, something very common for these babies to have while in the womb.

That week, she watched her baby more closely than she had before. While she still worked a few hours at the clinic every day, she cut back - trying to decrease the amount of stress that came along with the responsibility of being a full time healer. The waterbender had been conflicted about asking one of the other women she worked with to check and make sure what she was feeling was, in fact, a cystic hygroma, but to tell one of them before she had even told her husband felt unfair and she couldn't bring herself to do it.

She read several medical journals from Republic City's library, trying to find a way to cure it or at least raise her baby's chances of survival, but her search was in vain. While nothing could really be done to cause a baby to develop what her's had, nothing could be done to get rid of it either. It was up to the child to fight and survive.

She checked her bump daily, twice in the morning and twice at night before Aang would return home from work. Not much had changed, but she could feel the sack on the back of the baby's neck growing while the fluid that surrounded its heart and lungs seemed to multiply as well.

At her 10-week mark, she stopped checking it all together.

She knew watching it wasn't going to get her anywhere, the growing bump of her stomach proof enough that the baby was continuing to develop without her constant supervision. She just needed to wait and see what was going to happen. While she hated to sit around and do nothing, she acknowledged that worrying herself over it was probably doing more harm than good.

It wasn't until the 11th week that Aang finally found out.

She had already fallen asleep, the exhaustion her pregnancy had plagued her with causing her to turn in earlier than usual. She assumed that at some point in the night, Aang had returned home and fell into bed, because he was there when she woke up around midnight.

That's when the cramping started.

At first, it was a dull pain in her lower abdomen, one that wasn't very painful but still very uncomfortable. After sitting for five minutes with her hands placed firmly on her bump, willing her child to be okay and for the pain to lessen, Katara began to feel a strange sensation wash over her lower half.

Taking a deep breath, the waterbender gulped down the lump forming in her throat.

It didn't take a healer to tell her what was going on.

Swinging her legs over to the side of the bed, the woman cringed at the increasing pain in her stomach, the ache stealing her breath from her as her feet hit the floor. She paused a moment, inhaling through her nose and biting down on her lip.

In the corner of her eye, she could see the sickening color of red on her usually pristine white sheets - the sight confirmation enough that her worst nightmare had become a reality.

Aang shifted in his sleep, automatically sensing that his wife was no longer beside him. Turning to face her, he rubbed a heavy hand over his eyes – trying to get them to focus in the dim light that the moon provided him with.

"Katara?" His voice was hoarse from sleep, a yawn escaping his lips as he sat up in bed. "Are you alright?"

The woman didn't answer, pain still radiating in the lower half of her body. A tanned hand rested over her stomach, willing the pain to stop but knowing from experience that this process was unavoidable.

The moment she heard the gasp coming from behind her, she knew Aang saw the blood staining the sheets. A dip in the bed was felt moments before the airbender was in front of her, on his knees with hands on her shoulders. The concern that shone in his silver eyes was enough to make tears well in her own.

"Sweetie," Aang's voice shook as he took her face in his hands, using his thumb to rub soothing circles over the line of her clenched jaw. "What's the matter? What's going on?"

Katara rolled her lips inward, closing her eyes tightly as another pain ripped through her abdomen. She didn't want to scare Aang, but the concerned look on his face made her want to curl up in a ball and scream. She didn't deserve his sympathy; especially after losing something that was one part her and another part him.

He wasn't even aware it had existed.

Interpreting Katara's silence as one brought on by pain, the Avatar quickly stood, bending at the knees to wrap an arm around her shoulders and get her standing.

"Come on," His words were quick, his voice shaking in fear. "I'm taking you to the clinic."

"No," She weakly protested, leaning heavily on him as he tried to walk them to their bedroom door. Stopping in the middle of the floor, Katara stood with one hand over her stomach, head shaking. "Please, just take me in there." She lifted a quivering finger and pointed at the washroom, her voice tense as another wave of pain washed over her.

The Avatar stood, conflicted as he watched his wife's face twist in pain. He knew she was a healer herself, but what if she needed extra assistance? What if she wasn't able to handle this on her own?

"Aang, please."

The man clenched his teeth, hating to play into his wife's pleas when he knew something serious was going on. She needed medical attention – fast. But the look of pain and determination on her face had him softening; his heart pounding as he swiftly lifted her off her feet and into the cradle of his arms.

"Okay," He gave in, expecting her to protest to being carried a few feet – but she didn't. Instead, she held tightly to his neck with both arms, breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth as beads of sweat fell down her forehead.

Aang carried her to the washroom; setting her down the moment they crossed over the threshold. Allowing his wife to still lean on him, the Avatar sent little bursts of flames across the room to light the candles that lay around the tub and on the shelves. With the room illuminated, Katara reached out for the wall, walking with shaky knees towards the bath that sat at the far end of the room.

With her back turned towards him, Aang could see the fresh blood staining the lower half of her nightgown. He gulped heavily, fear resonating within his heart, his pale skin growing paler at the thought of something being disastrously wrong.

"Katara," His words were spoken softly in fear that if he were too forceful, he would break her. "What do you need me to do?"

The waterbender kept her back to him, her tanned fingers grasping at the marble edge of the tub. Tear-filled eyes gazed down as she realized that the same place she had discovered her child, was going to be the same place she rid herself of it.

"Just go get me some water from the well."

Aang opened his mouth to protest, refusing to leave her alone for even a second, but when her eyes met his own – he knew it's what she needed him to do.

After trekking out into the night and pumping the well a good number of times, Aang raised the buckets of water above the tub. When it had filled considerably, he pressed his hands into the bath, warming it with a touch of firebending in hope that it would make his wife more comfortable.

After Aang had helped her shed her soiled nightgown and bindings, Katara lowered herself in to the water, sighing heavily as she rested her spine against the marble back of the tub. The ache in her lower abdomen persisted, radiating to her lower back as well as she continued to bleed. Wrapping the water around her hands and focusing her energy to make it glow, the waterbender allowed her fingers to glance over the skin of her stomach, hoping to gain some relief.

The undeniable silence where a heartbeat had once been caused her hands to drop, her heart picking up speed as she remembered why she was in so much pain in the first place.

She had lost her baby.

It was all her fault. She hadn't been able to save it. The tears wouldn't come though; the woman was far too numb from shock to cry.

Aang sat beside the marble tub, up on his knees with elbows resting atop the edges. Katara could see that he was his holding his breath, waiting for her to say something. But when she didn't show signs of speaking, the man took charge and asked the question himself.

"Katara, what's going on?"

She didn't answer, fearful of what his response might be.

"Katara," He asked once again, firmly as he forced her eyes to meet his own by cupping her jaw in his hand. "Please tell me what is going on."

The waterbender could feel the tears finally filling her eyes, Aang's open stare too much for her to handle after what she had just gone through. Pulling back slightly, his touch like fire, Katara fixed her eyes pointedly on the drain of the tub. The water running down it was tinged pink, a cruel reminder of the circumstance the woman had gotten herself into. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes tightly before exhaling.

"I lost it."

Aang's brows furrowed at her quiet words, his voice full of concern. "What do you mean?"

When the woman turned back to him, her blue eyes were full of tears. A few trickled down the slope of her cheeks, falling into the water surrounding her. Her expression was one of defeat, something that shook Aang to his very core. It occurred to him then that maybe the situation was a little more serious than what he had anticipated before.

Unable to stop the tears now, Katara wiped furiously at her cheeks. She didn't deserve to cry.

"I – I lost the b-baby."

Though her words were choked, Aang understood them perfectly.

As though the wind had been knocked out of him, the Avatar stared with mouth wide at his wife's confession, one hand clutched to his chest in genuine surprise. He didn't speak for a few moments, in complete shock from what he had just been told.

"W-what?" Aang stuttered, leaning heavily against the side of the tub for support. He had never felt so lightheaded in his life.

Ashamed, the waterbender shut her eyes tightly; avoiding the gaze she knew was searching for her own. If she were to look at him now, she would break down completely. She may be crying, but at least she had the sense to hold herself up.

"I was pregnant," She quietly confessed, her voice soft and full of remorse.

The airbender sat silently for a moment, fully absorbing the news. There was a dull pain in his chest, growing as he looked down at the drain of the tub. There were rivulets of blood mingling with the water, staining it pink before it entered the pipe that would lead it away from the house. He had never been queasy when it came to blood, but knowing it was his child changed things. His own eyes welled with tears, too many emotions assaulting him all at once.

"H-How long?" The man asked, his tone unsteady as he brought his gaze back up to meet her's. But Katara's head was lowered, eyes still shut as she tried to will the guilt away.

"Katara?"

No answer.

Aang sat, holding his breath as he looked at his wife – waiting for a reply. He didn't know how long he sat there, his chest tight and eyes stinging from tears, but finally he got his answer.

"A few weeks," She murmured guiltily, tears trickling down her cheek as she placed a palm to her forehead in regret. "I still hadn't gotten to tell you."

The Avatar's brows raised, "Why not?"

"Aang, you were so busy," Her voice cracked, breaking as she tried to remember the reasons she had kept it from him. "I – I just couldn't put this on you. After I realized something was w – wrong, I just didn't – "

"Wait," Aang stopped her, his expression growing incredulous at her words. "You knew something was wrong?"

The waterbender could only nod.

The Avatar stood, conflicted over how he should feel. He was upset with the situation, but also aggravated at the fact she hadn't told him about the issue when it had arose weeks ago. His knees began to shake under the weight of the news, causing him to reach out to the sink for support.

He had been close to being a father and he hadn't even known it.

While Aang battled his own inner turmoil, the last bits of water in the tub washed down the drain. Though Katara was still bleeding, it wasn't nearly as heavy as it had been before. Her stomach continued to ache, as was expected, but the pains were no longer like the stabs she had felt while she was in bed. Temporary relief washed over her, though she couldn't ignore the empty feeling dwelling in her lower abdomen that hurt worse than any cramp ever could.

"What was it?" Aang finally spoke, his voice barely above a whisper.

"A heart condition," Katara answered in a heartbeat, her voice void of any emotion despite the tears that continued to escape her eyes. "There was fluid. I knew there was a slim chance the baby would survive. That's why I didn't tell you."

"Katara," Aang's voice was stern, so unlike the unsteady tone he had used with her earlier. "Why would you do that? You know I would want – "

"You had other stuff to worry about, Aang!" She hadn't meant to be so loud, but her voice bounced off the walls of the room. "I didn't want to bog you down with something else!"

The airbender gave her another incredulous look, "You really thought I wouldn't want to know about this? Katara, this is kind of important! You can't keep stuff like this to yourself!"

"Well, it doesn't matter now," She muttered, drawing her knees close to her chest – suddenly aware she was extremely exposed. It made her feel vulnerable. "There is no baby anymore."

Silence.

Katara sat, staring at the porcelain bottom of the tub – waiting for some response from her husband. She expected him to yell, though he had never been much for angry outburst. He had every reason to be frustrated with what she had done.

But, as he always did, Aang surprised her.

With her gaze down, she hadn't noticed that the man had grabbed one of the fluffy towels off the rack beside the sink. Walking back over to the side of the tub, he reached a hand out to assist her up.

Katara stared at the hand, apprehensive of the gesture. But when she looked at Aang's face – she didn't see the aggravation that she expected.

There was sadness and grief, but not anger.

Accepting his pale hand, the waterbender allowed him to pull her up. Her knees shook as he helped her step over the edge of the tub, the persistent cramps in her stomach causing her a bit more pain when she was standing on her feet.

Once she was out of the bath, Aang took the large towel and wrapped it around her. She held on to the front of it as he searched their closet for another nightgown she could wear along with another set of bindings. When he had found them, he handed the articles over and allowed her to lean on him as she put them on. He remained eerily silent the entire time, his eyes never meeting her own as he tried to keep his emotions in check.

When Katara had finished dressing, Aang left the room momentarily to fetch a different set of sheets for their bed. After the bed had been stripped and remade, the Avatar returned and scooped her up just as he had nearly an hour and a half before. Sending a breeze with just a flick of his wrist, the Avatar extinguished the candles still lit around the room, bathing it in complete darkness once he had shut the door.

He sat his wife gently on the bed, careful not to jostle her too much as she was still experiencing pain. With hands hovering over her shoulders, Aang hesitated a moment not sure exactly what he was supposed to do in the given situation.

Sitting on the bed beside her, the Avatar leaned his elbows on his knees, his face pensive as he stared at the wall where their dresser stood.

"Katara," His voice was hoarse, the remorse evident in his tone. "I'm sorry."

An apology was definitely not what Katara was expecting to leave his lips.

"What?" She asked, her brows furrowed in confusion. "Why are you sorry?"

The man sighed heavily, closing his eyes tightly as he bowed his head. "I'm sorry that I made you feel like you couldn't tell me what was going on. I've been so busy lately; I haven't gotten to spend much time with you. I've been complaining about work and all – "

"No, Aang," She stopped him, her hand coming up to grasp his shoulder- willing him to look up at her. "This isn't about you not being here or making me feel like I couldn't tell you stuff. I was scared. I didn't even know how I felt about the situation yet. I didn't want to drag you into with me."

"But that's what a marriage is. Were supposed to tell each other stuff like this."

Katara swallowed, knowing he was right. "It's a little different for us, Sweetie. You have so much already on your plate; I didn't want to add something else for you to worry about. When I realized something was wrong and that there was a slim chance our baby would make it, I wanted to tell you – believe me I did. I needed someone there with me that would tell me it was going to be all right, but I saw how tired you were and how stressed and I just couldn't bring myself to use you as a rock when that's what you needed me to be."

The Avatar turned to face her fully, shaking his head as he took her face in his hands. Katara could see the tears in his eyes reappearing as he gazed at her steadily.

"I would have been your rock if that's what you needed," His voice was soft, breaking slightly at the end as he rolled his lips inward before continuing. "I would have wanted to know. I would have worried with you."

"You couldn't have," She spoke, her voice quivering. "You have a duty to the world, Aang. You're already worried about everything else enough as it is."

"As I said," He reached up with a tattooed hand, brushing away a stray tear that had fallen down the slope of her cheek. "Shared worry is a part of marriage. Being a husband to you is just as much of a duty to me as the being the Avatar is. Besides, you couldn't have kept it from me forever. There were only two ways it could end."

Katara nodded, eyes darting down to her lap where her hands laid. "I'm sorry I kept it from you."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

The woman shook her head, fearing if she allowed herself to dwell on it – she would completely lose it.

Accepting her answer, Aang stood and walked around to the other side of the bed. Crawling in himself, he reached out a hand and placed it on Katara's forearm. Understanding the gesture, she settled herself into her pillow and rolled over so that she could be held within the circle of his arms.

"I know you don't want to talk about," He murmured into her hair, voice soft as rubbed a hand along her arm in comfort. "But I just want you to know that if anything is to ever happen again, I don't care how much you think it may affect me, I want you to tell me. No more secret keeping for the sake of the other person. We are in this together."

The waterbender nodded, scooting closer so she could nuzzle her face into the crook of his neck.

"Okay," She exhaled against his skin, her breath warm. "No more secrets."

The room was silent for a few moments, both benders lost deep within their thoughts.

"I'm going to have to go to the clinic in the morning and make sure everything has been cleaned out," Katara whispered the words, knowing that the rest of the world finding out about the tragedy was almost inevitable at this point.

"I'll go with you," Though the waterbender wanted to protest, knowing that the man would be missing several meetings if he attended the clinic with her, she kept her mouth shut. She had denied him the right to hold her hand when she had been worrying, the least she could do now is left him hold it while they were grieving.

A few beats passed before the woman spoke again.

"Aang?"

"Yeah?" Shifting slightly, Katara pulled away so she could look at his face. The tears that lay on his cheeks had her tearing up as well.

"Do you think we would have made good parents?"

Aang smiled softly, regret evident on his features.

"I think we would have been just fine."

* * *

A/N #2:

_So I kind of cheated and combined two days, but since this one was so long I figured it would be alright to kind of bend the rules. _

_Anyway, I do want to talk about this oneshot a bit and what went into it because this is something completely new for me. Never before have I researched a topic more intensely than I did this one. But this isn't just a story of miscarriage._

_What the baby was diagnosed with is Noonan/Turner's Syndrome. If you look it up, it's a pretty crazy condition that's considerably rare but also on the rise. A week before I wrote this, I started watching videos on youtube of a young woman who has a little girl that's living with Turner's Syndrome. The videos date all the way back to her first five weeks of pregnancy, documenting all the hope and fear that goes into discovering your child is diagnosed with this. I didn't realize how risky this condition was until I stumbled upon another video a few days later of a girl talking about how her baby had been stillborn because of Turner's Syndrome._

_Now, I have been criticized for this before, but I am going to say something again. Though people find it extremely cliche to have Katara experience miscarriage, I think it's important to show how disasters such as this can strike even the strongest of people. There's something so heartbreaking about it that exposes the most raw sides of characters and that's why I chose to write it._

_Now, this didn't end up as well as I hoped it would. I'm not used to writing such long oneshots and I'm also not used to carrying my work over day to day. It was hard to feel the same when I approached this story on a different day than the one before and I think my writing suffered for it. But, it's all a learning process._

_As for Katara keeping the pregnancy a secret, I have always interpreted her as someone who would withhold her emotions/problems from someone if she knew it was going to actively disrupt their duty. She did it with Aang at the end of the series with her true feelings for him, so I could also see her doing it again if the time called for it. _

_Anyway, regardless of the poor writing quality, I do encourage you to look more into the subject matter at hand. It's amazing how so many people experience this but most of us don't even know about it. _


	2. Chapter 2

**Day 3: Rainy Days**

* * *

"And what exactly is this supposed to help with, again?"

"Sh," His wife shushed him, thumbing through a stack of papers while pensively looking at the titles written across each document. "You said you were stressed and this is supposed to help you relax."

Aang looked above them, the sheet that had been stretched from the back of his office chair to the top end of the coach barely an inch away from his face, and chuckled lowly. Only Katara would think building a fort and hiding away from the world was supposed to be relaxing.

"Sweetie," The Avatar smiled at the waterbender, grateful for her attempts at relaxation. "I know I said I was feeling a bit overwhelmed but is the fort really necessary?"

"What?" Her brow rose, cerulean eyes challenging him with one look. "You don't want to be stuck under a nice snuggly fort with me on a rainy day?"

"Oh no," Aang held up his hands in defense, flashing her a wolfish smile. He had his wife with him in only her tight fighting nightgown, what was there not to like about that? "Believe me, it is not the situation we are in that is questionable. I just imagined us being stuck in that perfectly good bed of our's as opposed to a fort."

"Is that so?"

The Avatar shrugged, giving her a sideways glance.

Katara rolled her eyes, hiding a smile behind the paper she was reading. "Yes well, I imagined us having nothing to do so we could snuggle up in bed, but someone decided to forgo his duties last night to play with the lemurs."

"Wow," Aang smiled, leaning back on his hands, accidently knocking his tattooed head against the sheet above them. "I would hate to be that guy."

"Yeah," The waterbender nodded her head in agreement, lowering the paper to give Aang a reprimanding look. "Especially since now he's going to have to play catch up on his only day off with his wife. It's unfortunate, really."

The man gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm sure he's sorry."

"I'm sure he is."

They were quiet for a few moments, the candle between them flickering as the rain continued to pound on the roof above. Aang silently thanked the high heavens that he didn't have to go into the city for work, knowing full and well that he would more than likely be soaked by that point.

"Thank you for calling in to the clinic today," Katara glanced up at her husband, her eyes shining bright in the candlelight. "I know you had a busy day ahead of you."

The woman smiled, shrugging as she handed him a few papers off the top of her stack. "If it means I get to spend the day with you, it's worth it."

Aang grinned at her words; looking down at the documents she had passed him. A pout soon made its way on to his pale features, his companion giggling fully at the look of exaggerated misery on his face.

"Why do I get the trade agreements?"

"Because I'm taking the treaties."

"Don't you think they are going to notice that my handwriting changes between the two?"

Katara's brow rose. "You don't think after a year of marriage I could forge your signature?"

"Well, um – I –"

The Avatar watched as the waterbender picked up a pen, dipped it into the ink resting beside the candle, and began to write. Her dark hair dropped over her shoulder, hiding the document from view – but after a few seconds of scratching the pen across the page, she lifted it up for his inspection.

The man's mouth fell open.

"Should I be concerned that you can copy my handwriting?"

Katara laughed, handing the document to him so he could place it in a separate pile. "I have many unknown talents."

"Is that so?"

The waterbender nodded, reaching out and collecting the next paper in her pile. "You would never guess all the things I can do."

"Enlighten me," The Avatar gave her a challenging look, smirking when he got one in return.

"Well," Katara lifted her eyes to the sheet above them. "For one I'm an excellent fort maker."

"That is true," Aang agreed, giving her a curious look after a moment. "Which makes me wonder why you're so good at it."

The waterbender shifted, her elbows digging into the floor of pillows beneath her. In the candlelight, the Avatar could see her cheeks go rosy as her eyes lowered to the flame to avoid his gaze.

"When we were younger, Sokka and I would sometimes make forts when my dad wasn't home," Katara smiled sadly at the memory, nostalgia creeping up within her as she looked at the sheets stretched out around them. "If my mom was with us she would help. We couldn't make very big forts given our lack of materials, but we did well enough. After my mom died, we didn't do it as often. But whenever my father left for the war, there were a few times we did it for comfort. It made us feel safe."

"Katara," Aang's voice was full of sympathy, his silver gaze meeting her own. "Are you feeling, uh- unsafe? I guess that's how you would say it."

The woman laughed a little at her husband's question, shaking her head. "No, silly. I wanted to share this with you because I think we've both needed some time to relax. Remembering how this made me feel when I was younger made me want to give you the same feeling too."

Opening his arms, Aang allowed the waterbender to crawl into them. Mindful of the candle that still lay in the center, Katara made sure to take a path around it, snuggling comfortably in the airbender's arms.

"We still have work to do."

The Avatar shrugged resting his stubbly chin on the exposed skin of her shoulder. "There's always going to be work that needs to be done, but I'm not always going to have the opportunity to have a day off with you. I plan on making the most of it."

"The council is going to be furious."

"What are they going to do?" Aang chuckled before pressing a light kiss to the skin behind his wife's ear, causing her to shiver as he exhaled over it. "Fire the Avatar?"

"You say that now - but when you come home sulking after being yelled at, I'm sure you'll be singing different praises."

"Maybe."

Katara lifted her chin, shifting a bit so her lips could touch his own. The man in turn deepened the kiss, coaxing her mouth open for further exploration, but the waterbender pulled back before he could do a thorough inspection.

"We should get to work."

Aang pouted, wrapping his arms more securely around her.

"The faster we get done, the faster we can enjoy ourselves."

"But what if we never get done?" The man sighed dramatically, causing his wife to laugh.

"I think between the two of us we'll be able to handle it."

Aang smiled in agreement to her words, nuzzling his nose into the curls that lay tucked behind her ear. The movement caused his head to hit the sheet above them, the material rustling a bit before lowering as it fell off the back of the chair, half exposing them to the world.

"You do realize that if that sheet falls down completely, we have a candle under here and could possibly burn the house down, right?"

The Avatar smiled sheepishly.

"Maybe we should get back to work."

They never did.


	3. Chapter 3

**Day 4: Storm**

* * *

"Mommy!"

Katara awoke with a jostle, a small body attaching itself to her side and nuzzling into her shoulder.

"Kya?" The mother asked groggily, reaching up to pet the dark curls at the back of her daughter's neck. The two-year-old tightened her grip on the woman, not answering to her name. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

The little girl continued to shake, her fingers curled into her mother's night robes. Katara glanced over at the window, realizing that it was raining outside. Just as she made this observation, a flash of lightning illuminated the sky, prompting a rumble of thunder to follow right after. The waterbender made the connection and gently patted her daughter's head.

"Baby," She murmured, pushing the girl's bangs away from her eyes and pulling her closer. "Are you scared of the storm?"

The toddler gave a small nod, sniffling and looking up at her mother. Her cerulean eyes shone with tears, her tanned skin damp from the crying she had already done. Katara knew the child was scared of storms, but this was the first time she had run to her bedroom in fear. Usually she just cried out for one of her parents to come and get her from her crib.

"How did you get out of your bed?" The woman asked, concerned that maybe her child had started climbing over the railing. Bumi had started doing it around the same age, resulting in many bruises and change of arrangements. They eventually had to buy the boy a "big boy" bed due to his love for climbing. Hopefully it wasn't already time to do the same for Kya.

"I got her out," Katara looked up to see her wild haired son in the doorway, clutching both a pillow and a stuffed bison. The eight-year-old walked over to his mother's side of the bed, setting his sister's stuffed animal down beside her and throwing his pillow over his mother to his father's side of the bed. "She was crying and I was getting tired of it."

"Sweetie," Bumi hopped on the bed, lying flat on his belly and snuggling into his pillow. "You know you aren't supposed to get your sister out unless me or daddy are there."

"Yeah, I know. But Dad's not home and you were asleep already," The boy puffed his chest out, pointing a finger at himself. "Besides, I'm a man now."

Katara gave her son a wry smile. "Is that so?"

The "man" gave a nod of confirmation, pausing for a moment when a rumble of thunder shook the island.

Kya released a small shriek, hiding her face in her mother's side. The waterbender sighed and sat up, bringing her daughter with her and sitting her in her lap. The rain was hitting the window with great force causing Katara's brow to furrow with worry. Hopefully, her husband wouldn't travel in this kind of weather.

"I hope your father's okay," She mentioned absently, brushing back Kya's curls and giving the girl a gentle kiss on the forehead.

"Where is he?" Bumi asked, a crinkle forming between his brows as he looked at the buckets of rain falling outside. "I thought he was supposed to be back already."

"The storm may have delayed his arrival," Katara guessed running a hand through her son's wild hair just as she had with Kya. "I just hope he stopped for the night if he was already on his way home."

"Well," A familiar voice caused all three heads to turn to the doorway, relief immediately flooding their features when they saw who it was. "It's a funny story."

"Aang!"

"Dad!"

Bumi launched himself off the bed, landing in his father's open arms. Aang chuckled, giving the boy a tight bear hug.

"Ew, you're wet!"

"I haven't gotten the chance to bend the rain out of my cloak yet, buddy," The Avatar placed his son's feet back on the ground, ruffling his hair affectionately just as his mother had a few moments before. "I was too eager to get to see all of you."

"I'm sure you didn't expect us all to be in one room," Katara smiled as Aang leaned down and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. "So, what is this funny story you're speaking of? You know better than to fly in these kind of conditions."

"Would you believe me if I said I missed you too much to stay away?"

"I could believe it," Katara sighed, holding on to a wiggling Kya who was now reaching up for her father. "That doesn't mean I like it."

"Well, I'm home, aren't I?" Aang crouched down to give his daughter a quick kiss on the nose. "I'll give you a hug in a minute, baby. I'm wet."

"Icky!"

"Yeah, I know the feeling," The man chuckled, turning on his heel to go change in the washroom. In the meantime, Bumi sprawled back out on the bed, the front of his sleep shirt wet from his father's hug.

"Can we stay here?" He asked, his silver eyes pleading as he looked up at his mother.

While Katara would have much rather had some alone time with her husband, who she hadn't seen in a week, she couldn't deny her children some time with him as well. This had been his third trip to Ba Sing Se in the past two months, who knew when he would have to return once again.

"It's fine with me," Bumi whooped, throwing a fist in the air. "But you have to promise me you will try to fall back asleep. I'm sure your father's very tired from his journey."

"Yes, ma'am," Bumi gave her a mock salute, prompting another eye roll from his mother.

"So," Aang walked out of the bathroom, a pair of sleep pants on but chest bare. "What did I miss? Anything exciting happen while I was gone?"

"Uncle Sokka said he's going to teach me to use a boomerang," Bumi remarked, his voice full of enthusiasm. Aang smiled at him as he hopped into bed, genuine happiness clearly written across his features.

"That's great, bud," Bumi gave his father a toothy grin, showing off his two missing teeth proudly. "You're going to make a great warrior."

"I'm going to help you fight bad guys."

Aang chuckled, resting his back against the headboard. "Hopefully, there won't be any bad guys that you'll need to fight. I'm tired of all this conflict."

Kya crawled out of her mother's arms, with bison in tow, and over to her father's. Aang picked her up and laid her against his chest, kissing the top of her curls lovingly.

"What about you?" The toddler looked up at him, brows puckering. "Did the storm scare you?"

She nodded, tucking her head beneath her father's chin.

"Is that why we're all here?" Bumi shook his head at his father's question, puffing out his chest.

"I wasn't scared of the storm," The boy insisted, proudly smiling at his mother and sister. "I was keeping them safe."

The Avatar laughed at his son's reasoning, but nodded his head in gratefulness. "Thank you for holding down the fort when I couldn't."

Katara frowned at her husband's words.

"Aang?" The man turned to face his wife, arms still wrapped around their youngest. "You're not having to go back any time soon, are you?"

The Avatar smiled, shaking his head, "Nope, we got the trade route secured. The rebels have backed down and we can begin moving things through the valley. I won't be needed back for another few months."

Katara breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing her back against the headboard. Knowing Aang was going to be home more often caused her heart to swell. Glancing over at him in the dim candlelight, she could see a content look resting upon his features. It was evident in his expression that he too was glad that his duties would be dying down for a while.

The room fell silent, the rain continuing to fall from the heavens. A rumble of thunder sounded in the distance, but it wasn't nearly as loud as it had been before the Avatar arrived home.

In minutes, Kya was snoozing on her father's chest, her fatigue greater than her fear of the storm. Bumi soon followed after with his pillow stuffed right between his parent's and the sheets bunched up right below his chin. The two adults remained quiet for a few moments, making sure both children were unconscious before sharing knowing looks over the tops of their heads.

"I take it you didn't tell them."

Katara scoffed, rolling over on to her side to face her husband. "Did you really want me telling them when you weren't here?"

"Well," He thought for a moment, looking down at the crown of his daughter's head and smiling when she let out a quiet snore. "Not really. I just didn't know if they had noticed or not."

"I don't look that fat yet, do I?" Katara gave him a playful glance, although her curiosity was genuine. She was only two months pregnant; hopefully she wasn't showing enough that it would be evident through her robes. Her children hadn't seemed to notice a change and most of her morning sickness took place before they were awake and ready to start their day.

Aang laughed, " Now that you mention it," His wife gave him a glare, prompting a chuckle from him, "I'm just teasing. I don't think they would be able to tell. I'm just surprised Bumi hasn't guessed yet after experiencing your pregnancy with Kya."

Propping her elbow up, Katara rested her head against her hand, glancing down at the two children who continued to slumber on.

"He was only six when it happened, I doubt he remembers much of it."

"Oh no," Aang assured her, turning his stormy gaze to the ceiling. "He remembers. I don't think any of us could forget."

"Hey," Katara reached her free hand over to flick her husband's ear, earning a jolt in response that had her laughing quietly. "I wasn't that bad."

"It was bad," Aang rubbed at his ear, giving her a wry glance. "I lost count of how many times you sent me on a wild goose chase in to the city to find a food you were craving and then told me, upon my return to the island, that you didn't want it anymore."

"That was pretty bad."

"I didn't mind though," The smile that lit up Aang's face when he said those words held so much love that it actually had Katara blushing. "I would do anything for you."

Leaning over Bumi's pillow - as to not disturb her son – Katara carefully pressed her lips against her husband's, showing her gratitude through her actions rather than words.

"Thank you," The Avatar smiled as she rested her forehead against his own for a moment before situating herself on the other side of the bed.

They were quiet, the only sound between them being that of their children's snores and the storm still raging on outside. Aang was beginning to think Katara had already fallen asleep when she turned over to face him, her eyes bright in the dim candlelight.

"Sweetie?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember when you said you would do anything for me?"

Aang squinted his eyes; having a bad feeling he knew where this was going. "Do you have documentation of it?"

His wife rolled her eyes, "No, I don't."

"Than I have no idea what you're talking about."

Katara pouted, "I really want – "

"Nope."

"Please?"

"Katara, it is raining outside! You were just mad at me for coming home in this kind of weather and now you're asking me to go out in it again?"

The woman's cerulean eyes narrowed, her right brow rising to her hairloops. "I was just going to say that I wanted a cup of tea before bed."

"Oh," Aang remarked sheepishly, surprised at such a small request. Shifting Kya off his chest so that she was snuggled up with both her brother and stuffed bison, the man threw his feet over the edge of the bed, standing up and stretching a bit before walking towards the door. "Alright, well what kind do you want?"

"Jasmine, please," He turned to leave the room when her voice calling his name had him turning back one more time.

"While you're up could you – "

"Katara!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Prompt 5: Midnight**

* * *

He hadn't sent her word from the city that day.

Katara paced the width of their sitting room, eyes anxiously following the clock as it continued to tick on the wall. The midnight hour was upon them, the island covered in a blanket of darkness, signaling that everyone had already turned in for the night – everyone, except her.

"Come on, Aang," She mumbled to herself, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. She knew he expected to be at the council late due to Yakone's trial, but this was a bit ridiculous. It didn't help that the radio was reporting several different accounts of what had happened in the building that day.

Katara tensed as she heard someone grip the knob of the front door, but instantly relaxed when she recognized the tattoos the visitor was sporting.

"Aang!"

The man looked exhausted, the lines of his face more pronounced than usual. The bags under his eyes were puffy from lack of sleep, but there was a grateful look in them the moment he made eye contact with his wife, falling into her arms when she ran over to greet him.

"Where have you been?" Katara murmured worriedly in to his ear, tanned fingers coming up to rest on his head and pull him closer. The Avatar sighed, his warm breath sinking into the skin of her neck, but spoke no words still. "Sweetie, what's wrong?"

Aang didn't respond, his eyes closed as he nuzzled deeper into her embrace. Earlier that day, he had feared he would never get to be in her arms again – and now that she was so close, he could barely fight back the emotion that threatened to bubble up in the back of his throat.

With his hands still gripping tightly to the cerulean fabric of her night robe, Aang pulled away, almost shocked by how concerned his wife looked. The dark skin of her face was lined with worried, her clear eyes looking up at him through damp lashes that were barely holding back tears. He was scaring her.

"I'm fine," He assured her, his voice shaky still from what had happened earlier in the day. "Everyone is okay."

Katara wasn't buying his assurances.

"Aang, the reporters are acting like a mass murder was committed," The man cringed at her words. He had forgotten about the radio. "They wouldn't say anything on air about what was going on."

"It was bad," Katara rolled her eyes at his words.

"I think I got that part," Aang drew her closer, laying his chin on top of her head while she nuzzled her nose into his shoulder.

"Just tell me what happened," She finally spoke, her hands gripping the back of his robes tightly as she willed him to look at her. She was shocked though that whenever their gazes met, his was full of tears.

Burying his face back in her hair, Aang drew her to his chest, holding her so tightly that he feared he might be causing her pain - but her viselike grip in response proved otherwise.

"He was a bloodbender," He spoke miserably into her dark curls, his words sending chills down the length of her spine. "But it was so much worse than what we expected."

"What happened?" Though she was scared to ask, the waterbender needed to know. It hadn't been a long time since she herself had outlawed bloodbending, labeling it a practice for those who had no real moral compass. She had heard word that Yakone was suspected to be a bloodbender, but after reviewing the case with her husband the night before the trial she had a few doubts. The fact that Aang was so torn up over what had happened earlier made her think maybe she had been too quick to question her instincts during the previous afternoon.

"He could bloodbend during the day."

Katara's eyes widened, her heart dropping at the sound of such words.

"How?" It was impossible. No one had ever been able to bloodbend without a full moon, not even Katara. Of course, she had never tried it but she could feel the power wasn't there. Why would Yakone of all people be given such ability?

Aang looked just as baffled as her. "We don't know. He had his hands shackled and everything but was able to bloodbend the entire room with his mind."

"What?" The waterbender could feel her voice raise an octave as panic settled in. "Is everyone okay? Where's Sokka? What about Toph?"

The Avatar held up a hand to silence her, swallowing hard before raising his gaze to her's. "Everyone is fine. I wasn't lying when I said that earlier. Yakone was able to get away momentarily, but I caught him. I took his bending away."

Katara knew there had been something hauntingly familiar about Aang's fatigue when he walked in. It wasn't a physical exhaustion but rather an exhaustion of the soul. It was like the exhaustion he had sported after his fight with Ozai.

But instead of a twelve-year-old standing in the circle of her arms, she was standing in the embrace of her husband, who had seen more in the past twenty-eight years than most had seen in a lifetime. It made her heart hurt to know that it was all a part of his job, one that no one asked him if he wanted in the first place.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Aang nodded, his lashes still damp but his lips turning up into a small smile. He pulled her close once again so that her ear was flat against his chest, right where his heart was. She could hear the familiar steady beating through the fabric of his robes, the same rhythmic sound she heard every night before falling asleep.

"He almost had me," The Avatar admitted, kissing the hairs that lay on top of his wife's head. "But then I thought of you and the kids – and I just couldn't let him destroy that. I have far too much to live for in this world to allow a criminal to take me out of it."

Katara smiled, tilting her head up to give a kiss to the pale skin that ran right above his beard. "I'm glad you came to that conclusion, Avatar Aang."

The man pouted his lips, desperate for her mouth to be over his. "I think you missed."

Katara ignored him, standing on her toes to kiss the upper part of his cheek next. "I'm glad you're okay."

"I'm glad you feel comfortable enough to tease me in such a delicate situation."

The waterbender laughed at the dry comment before landing a kiss right on his mouth, allowing him to part her lips and drink her in. She pulled back far too soon for his liking, but the loving smile that lay on her face had him smiling as well.

"How about no more run-ins with bloodbenders? I think we've both had enough for one lifetime."

Aang nodded, agreeing completely. "You've got yourself a deal."


	5. Chapter 5

**Prompt 6: Nightmare**

* * *

Sometimes she would just sit and stare at his scar.

Why? Well, she really had no idea. She couldn't figure out how something so disastrously beautiful, could pull her back into reality.

She would wake in the dead of night, drenched with sweat causing her dark curls to stick stubbornly to her forehead. She would still be panting from her dream, her eyes searching for the one thing that would assure her that her nightmare hadn't come true. Sadly, his scar was the proof she was always looking for.

The moonlight hit their bed in just the right place, illuminating the pale skin of his back and the smooth line of his tattoo. Her nightmares never usually disturbed him, the man far too exhausted from juggling all of his duties during the day. The rise and fall of his shoulders would put her heart to rest, but her mind would still wander – her eyes following the blue of his arrow to the place on his back where it broke.

Over the years, the scar had gotten smaller. The center was still a dark shade of red, but the edges weren't as ragged as they used to be.

Her finger would drift down the smooth skin, careful not to linger in his common tickle spots for too long in fear it might wake him up. When it finally would reach the tough flesh, relief would flood throughout her body.

'He's okay,' She would tell herself, repeating the phrase until sleep would overtake her once again.

She doesn't tell him about her nightmare, but she thinks he knows. Whenever they wake up in the morning and he gives her those eyes, the one's that so clearly say 'I know you didn't sleep as well as you're trying to tell me you did,' she get's scared that he may ask. But he won't push her, he never has before and he won't start doing so now.

One night though, he catches her fingers lingering over the puckered skin of his back, her feather light touch waking him from his dreams and drawing him back to reality. He tries to keep his breath even, fearful that if he moves she may retreat – but she doesn't even when he finally begins to speak.

"Katara?"

"Hmmm?'

"Does it bother you?"

No reply.

The man turns over on his side so his eyes can meet his wife's. She gives him a strange look, her brow puckered and lips pursed. She looks disturbed.

"I can sleep on this side if it makes you feel better," The words are so quiet, she can't tell if he actually said them or if she's still dreaming. But that look in his eyes – so open and so full of love – keeps her grounded in her current reality.

"No," She answered honestly, propping up on her elbow and looking down at him with that same strange look from before. "You don't have to do that."

Aang's brow rose, his expression uneasy. "Are you sure? I can't imagine that's something anyone wants to look at."

Another beat of silence followed, Katara's eyes falling to the sheets that she had kicked down sometime during her nightmare. How do you tell someone that the same thing that caused them pain in the past, was what brought you comfort now?

Though her eyes were down, the waterbender could feel a slight shift in the bed. Tattooed arms soon wrapped around her middle, Aang drawing her closer and nuzzling his face into her neck. Katara's lips remained pursed, determined not to say anything. But she didn't need to.

"Sometimes I have to make sure it's still there, too."

Katara froze in Aang's touch, but relaxed once he rested his lips against the soft skin of her throat, kissing it gently. There was no need for her to be embarrassed about something he did too.

"I fear everything that has happened these past few years is a dream," His words were honest, his voice a soft murmur as he played with a loose strand of her hair. "I fear that I may wake up and the war will still be going on. But mostly I fear that I'll just wake up dead – that Azula's lightning actually defeated me and what I'm experiencing now is simply an after effect of death."

The woman remained silent, prompting her husband to go on. "I wake up sometimes during the night and go look in the mirror to make sure it's still there. I use it as a reminder of what you did for me that night. You saved me – and nothing I could ever dream up would be as good as that."

Her lips drifted to his forehead, kissing the arrow that lay there.

"I love you," She quietly murmured against his skin, her tone one so full of love that it had Aang rising up so that he could meet her gaze.

"I love you, too," And the kiss that followed certainly proved that.

The nightmares didn't stop after that, but Katara never turned down the opportunity to be wrapped up in Aang's whenever they did come. He gave her much more comfort than his scar ever had and that was enough at the time to always coax her back to sleep. She could fight off the nightmares if it meant waking up in his embrace.

It wasn't until she was old and wizened that insomnia infected her mind. She couldn't sleep. Her fear had finally come true in the form of a disastrous head cold rather than a bolt of lightning.

She couldn't allow herself to dwell in nightmares of the past – especially when her life at that point was a nightmare in itself.


	6. Chapter 6

**Prompt 7: Safe**

* * *

"This is all my fault."

Katara rolled her eyes at her husband's words, not surprised that he had found some way to put the blame on himself. Reaching over, she gathered his tattooed hand in her own, squeezing it tightly in reassurance.

"Aang, there's nothing we could've done," The Avatar made no response, preferring to keep his eyes glued on the tile floor of the emergency clinic. Cerulean eyes tried desperately to capture his gaze, but he was stubborn. He knew the moment he looked in to her eyes, he would break from the guilt.

Just an hour ago, the man had been completely fine. He had been attending a meeting at City Hall regarding the gang activity that had recently increased in the lower half of the city. His head was just about to hit the table in exhaustion when a council page had ran into the room, frantically searching for the Avatar. When Aang saw the boy's face, he knew that the news definitely wasn't going to be good.

Now his head was falling once again, but for a completely different reason.

"I shouldn't have let him start training yet," Aang's voice was low, heavy with the remorse he felt within his heart. "He's only eighteen. Most men don't join the United Forces until they are at least in their twenties."

"Aang, you know that's not true," Squeezing his hand once again, the waterbender ducked her head low to avoid speaking above a whisper. They weren't the only people in the waiting room, but they certainly were causing enough of a scene by just being there. "Bumi's the same age as most of the boys he's training with. Besides, age wasn't the reason he got hurt."

The Avatar clenched his jaw, knowing exactly why their son had been hurt during training.

"It's just not a fair fight."

Katara sighed, rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb. "Don't let him hear you say that. Proving his capability to us is what made him join the Forces in the first place."

Aang shook his head, finally tilting to the side to meet his wife's light gaze. The stony color of his irises surprised her, their usual slate color darkened to what more resembled a stormy sky over the bay than anything.

"You aren't the one he's trying to prove anything to," His tone was bitter, the frustration he had been holding back for the past hour, finally coming forth in the form of his words. "I'm the one who he thinks isn't proud of him. I'm the reason he's always putting himself in dangerous situations."

Katara remained quiet, lips pursed as she tried to keep a level head. The blame game was something her and Aang often argued about, their rare fights usually stemming from who was guiltier than the other. But given the circumstances – with their son currently being healed by the exact element that had harmed him – she decided to let it go for the moment.

"Well," Katara sat up straight, her tanned fingers releasing her husband's and finding a new spot on the armrest of her chair, "There's nothing we can do about the past now. We can only focus on the future. We need to decide what we are going to do about Bumi when he gets healed up."

The Avatar slumped his shoulders, a heavy sigh escaping his mouth as he balanced his elbows on his knees.

"I want him to quit," Katara nodded, expecting that type of answer from her husband from the get go. "I never wanted him to join the UF in the first place. He needs to put his skills to good use here in the city where he'll be safe."

"Sweetie, that's not a guarantee," Aang shifted his eyes to her's, taking in the wry smile that appeared on her features. "He was in the city when he got hit by those ice daggers."

"He was training when that happened."

"Well, yes," Katara agreed, her hand moving to rest on the top of his shoulder. "But even if he hadn't been, this could have happened on the streets. People are attacked every day here, you know that."

"Those people aren't purposely putting themselves in dangerous situations."

"They also aren't nearly as skilled as Bumi is, either," Aang pursed his lips at his wife's words, flinching when she gave him another comforting squeeze. "Aang, just because he's not a bender doesn't mean we need to protect him all the time."

Aang huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. He knew he was acting immature, but the overwhelming feeling of guilt that rose up in him was all too familiar. Bumi wasn't the first person he had failed to protect.

Katara knew this. She could see in her husband's eyes that this hurt went far beyond just Bumi's injuries. Taking note of this, she kept quiet – waiting for him to prepare a verbal reply to the statement she had made.

She didn't have to wait long before his shoulders slumped forward, the tension leaving them as he finally gave in.

"I know," His voice was quiet, his words full of guilt. "I know he doesn't need us to protect him. It's just hard having something like this happen and knowing that there are situations that he won't be able to overcome because he doesn't have the ability to bend."

The waterbender nodded in agreement, this conversation shaping up to be just like the ones they had had before. Whenever it came to Bumi, it always came back to this.

"You have no idea how much I want to keep him safe," Aang covered his wife's hand with his own, knowing how hard it was for her to sit back and watch everyone else heal their child. "But I can't hold him back. This is something he wants to do, Aang. Who are we to tell him no? Yes, he got hurt – but do you think when we he walks out of here, he's going to look at us and say 'I want to quit' and be done with it?"

The man sighed, shaking his head and giving his wife a rueful smile. "No, he's probably going to make a joke about all this."

"I'd be worried if he didn't."

Aang was about to reply when the doors of the waiting room swung open, the force causing them to bang against the wall harshly. The desk lady on duty pursed her lips, standing from her chair to scold whoever had just roughly handled the doors – but her words fell flat when she realized who had just entered the room.

"Is he okay?" Sokka's voice was full of fear, his wolftail now hanging haphazardly down the back of his neck from the run he had made from the docks to the clinic. Beside him, Tenzin and Kya stood - both mirroring the anxiety that their uncle was projecting.

Katara was quick to nod her head, the gesture gaining a sigh of relief from her older brother. "He's doing fine. I haven't gone back to check on him yet but the healers told me that he just needs a few stiches. They didn't get him here quick enough for the skin to be healed completely."

Sokka released another puff of air, glad to hear that his nephew was going to be all right. "That page gave us a scare. You're lucky Aang was able to convince me to go pick up the kids."

At their mention, brother and sister stepped forward – still hesitant of the situation at hand. While the nine-year-old Tenzin seemed to be responding more to the nervous energy his uncle was giving off, Kya's wide eyes were full of knowing fear.

"Is he really okay, Mom?"

The waterbender in question nodded, pulling her daughter by the blue silk of her robes, into her embrace.

"He's fine," She murmured into the girl's ear, feeling the tension leave her tiny shoulders as she fully relaxed against her mother. Katara patted the brown curls at the back of her daughter's head, kissing her forehead gently. "I didn't mean for everyone to get so scared. He didn't look that bad when he was brought in."

"Just a few cuts?"

Katara chuckled wryly at Tenzin's question, smiling as the boy moved closer to his father so he could lean on him. "Well, more than just a few. Quite a lot actually – but he was smiling."

"Dummy," Kya muttered, coaxing a laugh from her mother as she was released from her embrace. The twelve-year-old rolled her eyes at her eldest brother's previous actions, but Katara could tell that the words secretly relieved her.

They sat for a few minutes, waiting for news of the boy's condition to come forward. It was moments like this where Katara found herself cursing the clinic's policy against relatives working on their own kin. Her frustration was short lived though. At long last, the doors that led back to the healer's rooms swung open to reveal the source of trouble himself.

"Hi family!"

Bumi could barely get the words out before he was being smothered with hugs.

"Whoa," The wild haired boy chuckled, wincing in slight pain as the bodies wrapped around him disturbed his stiches. "Be careful, I'm fragile."

"Good thing," Katara murmured, tightening her grip on her son. "If you weren't, I would have to water whip some sense into you."

"Ah, Ma," When everyone but Katara had released him from their grip, Bumi wrapped his arms around his mother, returning her embrace. "I only looked away for one second. I didn't realize he was going to throw daggers at me!"

From the various cuts and stiches that the young man had accumulated, one could easily see he hadn't been paying nearly as much attention as he should have been when training, - but the smile on his face showed evident satisfaction.

"See? I'm still in one piece," Bumi released his mother, widening his arms so that she could look him over. "No need to worry about me."

Aang shook his head, wrapping a firm arm around his son's shoulders.

"Bumi, you're lucky you weren't seriously injured."

The man rolled his eyes at his father's words, shrugging out from beneath his arm. "I know, Dad. But this at least proves that I can handle myself."

Kya's brow rose at her brother's words, a smirk appearing on her features.  
"I don't know about that, Bum. You did land yourself in the clinic."

"But I'm breathing, that's all that matters."

Aang and Katara shared a look, both rolling their eyes at their son's attempt at nonchalance. They personally preferred him with all his limbs and working lungs, but obviously that wasn't on the boy's list of priorities. After a few words with the lady at the desk, the family finally made their way out into the hall.

Sokka slung an arm over his nephew as they walked down the hall together, telling him some story that involved a sword and a moose lion. The Avatar and his wife followed slowly behind, both watching as the nonbenders interacted some distance in front of them.

"He doesn't need us to keep him safe," Katara murmured, reaching down to secure her husband's hand in her hold.

Though Aang hated the fact, he nodded at his wife's words.

"I don't think he really ever has."


End file.
